In-channel channel optimization for hard-disc drive read/write chips

Abstract

In one embodiment, a read/write chip for a hard disc drive has at least one on-chip, in-channel, hardware-based optimization processor that is part of one or more channels (e.g., read, write, and/or servo) of the read/write chip. The optimization processor can iteratively evaluate the performance of a channel for different values of one or more different parameters that control channel processing by generating an appropriate metric value for each different parameter value. The optimization processor can then select an optimal parameter value for subsequent channel processing.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus comprising a read/write chip for a hard disc drive having a read/write head, the chip comprising:
 a servo channel configured to control operations of the read/write head; 
 a write channel configured to generate a write data signal used by the read/write head to store data on a hard disc of the hard disc drive; 
 a read channel configured to process a read data signal generated by the read/write head to generate recovered data representative of the data stored on the hard disc; and 
 at least one optimization processor that is part of at least one channel of the servo, write, and read channels and is configured to (i) analyze processing of the at least one channel for a plurality of different parameter values for one or more different channel parameters and (ii) select an optimal parameter value for each channel parameter. 
 
     
     
       2. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one optimization processor is a hardware-based processor. 
     
     
       3. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the chip further comprises on-chip memory configured to store analysis and optimization scripts for the at least one optimization processor. 
     
     
       4. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the chip further comprises a user interface that enables a user of the chip to write user data to and read user data from the hard disc, wherein the at least one optimization processor has access to channel processing data that is not available to the user using the user interface. 
     
     
       5. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one optimization processor is configured to optimize at least two of the read channel, the write channel, and the servo channel in parallel. 
     
     
       6. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one optimization processor is configured to detect unreliable channel processing and ignore results corresponding to the detected unreliable channel processing when selecting an optimal parameter value. 
     
     
       7. The invention of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the unreliable channel processing corresponds to one of a “missed sync” condition, a “false sync” condition, and a “media defect” condition; and 
 the at least one optimization processor is configured to detect the unreliable channel processing by monitoring signals generated by the read channel indicating the occurrence of one or more of the three conditions. 
 
     
     
       8. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is the read/write chip. 
     
     
       9. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is the hard disc drive. 
     
     
       10. The invention of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a consumer product comprising the hard disc drive.